From The Ashes (The Ministry of Curiosities #6)(6)

"The French draw near."

"I meant news about my escape. Did you speak with Meredith?"

"I did. After she calmed and rallied her wits, I followed her to see the other maiden, Alice. Alas, Alice is asleep and cannot be woken."

"Asleep!" That explained why she hadn't come to assist me. "Did Meredith shake her?"

"She did, and shouted at her, and poured water over her feet." He sounded agitated, his concentration not on the conversation.

"Why her feet?"

"She didn't want to ruin the maiden's hair."

I rolled my eyes. "And then what happened?"

"Nothing. She slumbered on."

Poor Alice was in one of her deep sleeps again, tortured by dreams of the queen chasing her, I suspected.

The chain mail rattled, moving further away, then drew close again. He must be standing right in front of me. "Forgive me, Mistress Holloway, I must leave now. This is the safest place for you at present anyway."

"What are you talking about, Sir Geoffrey? What's happening?"

"The French will unlikely negotiate."

I clicked my tongue. If I could grab hold of a ghost, I would have strangled him. I was so close to freedom, and yet so far away. I needed his help. Without him or Meredith or Alice…

"Can you speak to Meredith again on my behalf," I said. "Urge her to come down here on her own. Tell her Mrs. Denk hasn't fed me in over a day."

"The head woman is busy. I don't like her, but she has more than your wellbeing on her mind at present."

"What could possibly be more important than my life?" I shouted.

"The French."

I groaned. It was hopeless.

"They're setting up siege equipment," he went on. Once again, the rattle of the chain mail grew distant. "It may be a long, drawn-out battle. The castle isn't well defended anymore, and I doubt a gaggle of schoolgirls will be of much use to me. But I must try. Inglemere will not fall! Not as long as I haunt its corridors." His voice faded and the chain mail stopped rattling.

"Sir Geoffrey?"

No response.

I felt my way around the walls, and stumbled from column to column. "Sir Geoffrey, are you there?"

No answer. He was gone.

I crumpled to the floor and burst into tears, but they didn't last long. Crying would not get me out, although it made me feel a little better. All I could do now was wait, either for Mrs. Denk to come to her senses or for Alice to waken. She couldn't sleep forever, and surely Mrs. Denk wouldn't abandon me altogether. She was cruel, but not a murderess.

I tucked my arms against my chest and drew my knees up. It did nothing to warm me and I shivered uncontrollably. My teeth chattered and it felt like ice slid along my veins. If I remained in the dungeon much longer, I would surely die from the freezing damp.

Would my imp consider that life threatening? I closed my fist around the amber. "I release you." When nothing happened, I repeated the instruction in French, as my mother had told me to do. "Je libère toi."

Again, nothing. I sighed. Perhaps it was a positive thing that my imp didn't consider me to be in imminent danger.

A light tap on the door had me spinning toward the staircase. Had I imagined it?

There it was again, louder. No, not a tap. It was the clank of solid iron on wood. A key? I scrambled across the floor on hands and knees so as not to trip up the bottom step in the dark. My sore palm stung, but I didn't care. "Mrs. Denk?" I would promise to be good from this point on. Well, until my escape from the school. And I would keep that promise too. I didn't want her keen eye on me, watching my every move while I planned my exit.

The door opened a crack, letting in a sliver of light. "It's me," came a girl's voice. "Meredith. Charlie?"

"Meredith!" Thank God. She'd plucked up the courage to rescue me after all.

The door widened and her face appeared in shadow. She held up a candle and squinted into the dimness. "I've come to get you out. We need you." She glanced behind her and beckoned me to come.

I climbed the stairs and took her offered hand. "Thank you. I was beginning to think I'd die in there."

Her rosy pink lips flattened. "Sir Geoffrey told me Mrs. Denk hasn't fed you. My God, Charlie, that's awful." She stepped away and studied me. Her pert nose wrinkled. "You look terrible."

My dress was dirty, particularly at the knees and hem, and my hands filthy. No doubt evidence of my tears still marked my face too, and I hated to think what my hair looked like. "It's been an ordeal. Thank you for rescuing me. Now, I must face Mrs. Denk. Or escape the castle altogether." I bit my lip, unsure how to proceed.

Her eyes widened, and she glanced anxiously behind her again. "You can't do either, I'm afraid."

A thunderous bang boomed above us, followed by crashing that seemed to go on and on. High pitched screaming followed, only to be drowned out by Meredith's wail.

She flattened herself to the floor and threw her arms over her head. Her candle went out, and she began to cry.

"What was that?" I asked, joining her on the floor.

"They're attacking!" she cried. "Sir Geoffrey said they would. I thought him mad, but I should have listened to him. I should have warned Mrs. Denk not to go out there, and now she's gone too, possibly dead! And we have only a ghost to help us and a few girls and teachers with no military experience. We're going to die, Charlie!"